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This darzi shop in Karachi was set up in pre-partition Pakistan

This darzi shop in Karachi was set up in pre-partition Pakistan

“When we moved here in 1947, it was like a beautiful dream,” shares Mr. Hassan, owner of the store
Updated 30 Jun, 2016

Tucked away among pre-partition buildings in Pakistan Chowk in Karachi is a small one-room shop run by Masoodul Hassan called Tailor De Pak.

“My father, Mohammad Ibrahim, started the business in the 1930s and set up our first shop in Quetta next to Staff College,” he said wiping his glasses.

“After the earthquake in 1935, we located our shop to Bombay, then to Karachi right after the partition and have been at the Sarnagti Building since.”

Tailor De Pak at Pakistan Chowk
Tailor De Pak at Pakistan Chowk

Explaining how they got into the tailoring business, Mr Hassan said that they used to work primarily with the armed forces, who named their shop: “We used to go with them, stitch their uniforms and eventually, after the war my father decided to set up a shop."

“At that time, there was no clear concept of Pakistan,” he shared. “We got our name Tailor De Pak as in pak saaf logon ka tailor or a Muslim tailor.”

According to Mr Hassan, business in a newly independent Pakistan started off well but since then he has had to change his line of work from a general tailor to one who specializes in surgical gowns, lab coats and supplies.

“Teachers from DJ Science College, which is down the street, used to come here and they're the ones who told us to get into this line of work instead, which is how we started making scrubs and lab coats," he revealed.

Some Scrubs inspiration?
Some Scrubs inspiration?

“When we moved here in 1947, it was like a beautiful dream,” he said. “Now it’s a nightmare. Things have changed so much.”

He claimed that when they initially moved to Karachi, there weren’t many educated people in the neighbourhood but that changed overtime.

“Since Karachi was the capital in those days, several ministers had their offices in this building. Once the capital changed to Islamabad then the top floors were taken over by the British Council."

In the late 60s and early 70s, Mr Hassan stated that a frequent visitor of the building was former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: “Bhutto sahib used to walk and come here; a friend of his, Ali Nawaz, lived next door so you could often see the two of them together."

“After he became prime minister, he was in the area after doing a round at the Civil Hospital. On his way back, he decided to say hello to his friend -- it was funny because the protocol went one way and Bhutto sahib came this way instead. Unfortunately, his friend was not there but he came into the shop and met us.”

In the world of digital book-keeping, Mr. Hassan keeps his records on paper
In the world of digital book-keeping, Mr. Hassan keeps his records on paper

Talking about Pakistan Chowk, which is being renovated, Mr Hassan remembers when the chowk used to just be a tree. “The area was expanded after an MPA stood for elections in the 1980s,” he explained.

“When we moved to the area, it used to be very peaceful and quiet. In the evenings, you could see the women bring their chaddars and dinner to the chowk where they would wait for their husbands, sons and brothers."

Mr. Hassan still works out of his one-room shop set up by his father
Mr. Hassan still works out of his one-room shop set up by his father

"After having their meal, the men would move to the other side to play cards and other games while the women would talk to each other. Those truly were wonderful days.”

Comments

Dipak Singh Jun 30, 2016 02:21pm
When we moved to the area, it used to be very peaceful and quiet. In the evenings, you could see the women bring their chaddars and dinner to the chowk where they would wait for their husbands, sons and brothers." Now what condition over their!!
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almas mohommad Jun 30, 2016 02:22pm
kay din the well what can one say
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Asif Jun 30, 2016 02:28pm
Wow, speachless. I grew up in Karachi, use to travel on local trains alone without any fears when I was in class 5 or something. It is so sad to see this beautiful city turning into mess by some ignorant people.
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mohsin Jun 30, 2016 02:31pm
Dawn. I am an old Karachi-wala and this is wonderful. I would love to make a short-film on this subject and the man and the generation and the time passed. Thanks for the readings.
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Soil of talents Jun 30, 2016 02:33pm
Very interesting memories of Mr Hassan. In a spur of moment I got in mind memories of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah tailor namely Mr Noor who also stitched my father's sherwanis and my uncle (taya Aboo) he died about 10 years back,and till end he was stitching suits and sherwanis for only those friends who knew him at his small shop off Tariq road Karachi,The sherwanis and suits sewn by him were extremely comfortable,which is hallmark of a professional tailor.Anyways best of wishes for Mr Hassan.
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Patriot Jun 30, 2016 03:02pm
wow what a time it was
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SSH Jun 30, 2016 03:29pm
“When we moved here in 1947, it was like a beautiful dream,” he said. “Now it’s a nightmare. Things have changed so much.” how true and how sad .................. :(
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Farjee Jun 30, 2016 04:03pm
Met this guy. Bought my first surgical gown from here. Later went to buy more for the ward. I remember... Thanks dawn you brought all memories back
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Anwer Jun 30, 2016 05:14pm
I believe it was Tailors De Pak who stitched the lab coats for a lot of the medical students at Dow Medical College including mine back in the early eighties!!
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JAMIL Jun 30, 2016 05:16pm
@Dipak Singh Now crowded with People and Traffic. Main Business Hub of Karachi is only 1 Km away. It is no more resident area , now Part of Business and Offices,
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Mudassar Jun 30, 2016 05:22pm
"“When we moved here in 1947, it was like a beautiful dream,” he said. “Now it’s a nightmare. Things have changed so much.” This one statement sums up everything. Look at the Karachi Quaid gave you, and now...what you have turned it into.
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Thoroughthinker Jun 30, 2016 06:06pm
Wonderful living history !
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M.Jamal Jun 30, 2016 06:54pm
Regretfully things changed in Pakistan after the first Martial law in Pakistan and shifting of capital from Karachi to Islamabad by the dictator to strengthen his rule as he feared that the Karachites will not allow him to ruin Pakistan.Masoodul Hassan of Tailor de Pak.
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J.Niaz Jun 30, 2016 09:56pm
Well written and enjoyable. The past is another country.
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tailor de pak customer Jun 30, 2016 10:30pm
This shop is a heritage 'and its owner always has a gentle smile on his face :) thank dawn for sharing such a wonderful story ..!!
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Abbas Ali Jun 30, 2016 11:19pm
Ah....brought back old memories. We used to live there in Arambagh...not far from this shop. Dad came to Karachi in 1943 and bought two apartments...grew up in this area...had a roof top garden which i made...sister went to DJ college...took my school bus from the old AGFA building when I was young... Always came to this corner to catch a rickshaw...golden times...I miss the old Karachi/Pakistan. Thanks for sharing Dawn. Hassan saheb, Pak Kauser medico he ya khatam?. Abbas
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Gaiti Ara Jun 30, 2016 11:40pm
Wow.... thanks for this article....refreshing memories ..... all of us students of Dow Medical college got our white aprons stitched here.
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Rashid Sultan Jul 01, 2016 01:06am
His father should have stayed in Bombay. As a good tailor he would have had a very good standard of living and life. In them days I guess going to and coming from the big cities of calcutta, bombay and madras must have been easy. Hop on a train and a day or two later you reached your destination. And travelling the vast distances must have been fun. Now? Well, less said the better.
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Imran khan Jul 01, 2016 01:15am
Amazing story
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Shahzad Akhund Jul 01, 2016 02:00am
Everyone, who has lived in Karachi, before, and even shortly after, the partition, would remember the remarkable peace, tranquility and beauty of this great city. All this changed in the 80s; so guess what happened.
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Zak Jul 01, 2016 02:36am
@Asif it's the same every where, speacially in south asian cities.
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Zak Jul 01, 2016 02:38am
"When we moved here in 1947, it was like a beautiful dream,” he said. I have heard that from so many people and their love for Pakistan.
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Zak Jul 01, 2016 02:39am
@Dipak Singh now too much traffic.
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Kyoorius Jul 01, 2016 02:56am
Loved the article. I think you should start a series that has stories like this. I am sure there are many more stories like this waiting to be told. Simple and filled with nostalgia. Thanks Tooba Masood and Dawn.
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Parwaiz Karamat Jul 01, 2016 02:58am
Good old days. Without your own efforts, you would not be where you are today. I think that life is 20 % luck and 80 % effort. Some people achieve 80 % success with just 20 % luck, but many of us, the common man that is, must put in 80 % effort to make the 20 % luck factor work.
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Sachin Jul 01, 2016 03:01am
So simple so beautiful. Thanks Dawn for publishing
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Syed Waqar Ali Jul 01, 2016 03:44am
The story has taken me in the 50's. This shop was just in front of my house where I grew up. At that time Sarnagati Building was a very good looking building. British Council Library was also in the same place. There was one press by the name of Wafai Press where Mr Bhutto used to come very often. My father was a customer of Tailors de Pak and we used to get our clothes stitched from them. I am disappointed to see the look of this shop, it really looks as an old one . I would like to correct the writer that Pakistan Chowk where this shop is located was never attributed to a tree. After Partition there was a big chowk which was named Pakistan Chowk. Some times in 1959 or 1960, the size of this chowk was reduced to ensure easy flow of traffic. I would like to share on more thing. At that time there was a trend to play cricket on the roads. Since the traffic was not much, we used to play cricket on the road in front of Tailors de Pak.
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Leo Jul 01, 2016 03:48am
I got my lab coat stitched at Tailors de Pak for my finals when I was at Dow-nostalgic.
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Zak Jul 01, 2016 04:16am
Pre-partition Pakistan is as of 1971. It was pre-partition India in 1947. Let's keep the facts straight.
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probono publico Jul 01, 2016 05:43am
My memories, I'm born very close to Pakistan Chowk
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Nangyal Jul 01, 2016 06:06am
@Mudassar 1947 Karachi wasn't given to us by the Quaid but the British, since the British left our cities have been in decline.
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Syed Waqar Ali Jul 01, 2016 08:00am
A very good story. In my early days I was living in Pakistan Chowk where Tailors De Pak is located. Pakistan Chowk is not named after any tree. It is in fact a Chowk. Upto 1960 it was a big chowk, its size was cut down in order to ensure easy flow of traffic. It is interesting to know that at that time British Council was also located in the same building where Tailors De Pak is located.
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Imran Jul 01, 2016 08:10am
One of the first things you did when you got admission in Dow Medical College was to make a trip to this tailoring shop. Wonderful memories of those heady days.Thank you very much for the memories.I and a lot of my friends who are Dow graduates are now in US.Even twenty years after graduation still rememberTailor de Pak
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B.Ally Jul 01, 2016 09:20am
Good story of bygone days & it ended as abruptly as that period.
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A Jul 01, 2016 01:32pm
Simetimes it feels simplicity is the best remedy for all us.
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Syed Moinuddin, Canada Jul 01, 2016 08:31pm
This is the change of times that Mr. Hussain is facing. This is happening all over the world. The old ways of doing things have changed. When I came to Canada almost fifty years ago, there used to be dress makers like Mr. Hussain. Now there are almost none. We pay the price for change. If it is always good? That is another matter.
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Zak Jul 01, 2016 09:25pm
@Zak British indian Empire was partitioned from their perspective. From pakistan and India's perspective, they got independence. yes, do get your facts right and learn.
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rayaz Jul 01, 2016 11:01pm
I was a student of Metropolis Secondary School in Burns Road in 1950ies. Pakistan Chowk was nearby and I frequently used to visit friends there. Next to the said school The daily Jang news paper staff used to scribe by hand on yellow paper. They used to sit on the ground. The place was charming and peaceful. An road accident used to become a talk of town. There were few thousand motor cars and you could see same car again in a day and two. Trams used to run in old areas. The place was clean and tidy. I now live in London since 1962. My memory is fading as I am now 76. My Pakistani compatriots, I urge you not to allow our beautiful city to be wrecked by greedy people. This new trend that rupee is God is not real but only leads to destruction. May Allah bless us all and our great country.
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Feisal Jul 02, 2016 09:08am
How old is Mr. Hassan?
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Niaz Ahmad Jul 02, 2016 08:54pm
My dad grew up in Karachi after moving from Delhi in 1947. I have previlge of travelling with him to especially old Karachi. What a healthy heritage this city carries. I think creative people should move forward to make a doceumentary highlighting these peoples with thier journeys and hardships to keep the clutural flame of city alive.
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Sufyan Jul 04, 2016 04:02am
Every DMC student wear's lab-coat stitched by tailor's de pak, Thank-you Sir, Hope the legacy continues.
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Khan - Australia Jul 04, 2016 11:18am
I still remember my first visit to this shop was in 1979 when I got admission to Dow and visited few times during my DMC days,later I went in 2008 when my daughter got admission in Dow. still remember all those years as it was yesterday.This shop has served generations. Thanks 'Dawn' of making remember all those golden memories
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Bhatti Jul 04, 2016 06:38pm
A beautiful trip down the memory lane.
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